Re: Me against the meme

From: Scott Chase (osteopilus@yahoo.com)
Date: Fri 11 Nov 2005 - 03:12:59 GMT

  • Next message: Derek Gatherer: "Re: Me against the meme"

    --- Kenneth Van Oost <kennethvanoost@belgacom.net> wrote:

    > ----- Original Message -----
    > From: Scott Chase <osteopilus@yahoo.com>
    >
    >
    >
    > Individuals such as
    > > John Wilkins are fully aware of such concepts but
    > can
    > > we extrapolate their superior wisdom across all
    > > individuals of our species to say that the human
    > > species is fully self-aware? I can buy nationalist
    > > self-determination as a human construct, but
    > species
    > > self-determination for humans might be going too
    > far.
    >
    > Scott,
    >
    > Yet that shouldn 't be regarded as all negative
    > though !
    > The misery of the last century ( health, hunger,
    > poverty,...)
    > arise from the fact that on one side the
    > achievements of
    > the ones and the limitations of the other were
    > opposite to
    > eachother. Better it would be that all should be
    > inspired to
    > get humankind up the latter.
    > Why should it be wrong to get hunger and poverty out
    > of the equation !? This step for the species as a
    > whole requires
    > courage and appears to be beautiful and good_ is
    > this kind
    > of species self- determination for the individual
    > human sake
    > than out of the question !?
    >
    > And why not_ we have the technology_ overcome
    > disease
    > and healthproblems like the upcoming pandemic for
    > all humans
    > and not for the few who can affort it !? Is this
    > kind of species
    > self- determination than not mold into our actions
    > and behaviour
    > and thought !? Since long we have lost our naive
    > pagan and
    > innocent we are neither, but we mustn 't be ignorant
    > for the up-
    > coming future. Technological opportunities are
    > coming our way
    > and the picture we have about our destiny transcends
    > that of
    > every element in human culture prior to it.
    > Today's man is in possesion of power that will
    > eliminate all
    > frustration, we will be sane, stable and realistic.
    >
    > We are playing a role in a great natural story and
    > we must accept
    > it; we must also accept the nature of the historical
    > process sur-
    > rounding this_ never forget the struggle for
    > subjective idealism
    > either_ but we should be convinced, integer and full
    > of courage
    > in our attempts to change the world, the species and
    > with it humans
    > for the best_ genetical or memetical !
    >
    This species self-determination as you present it sounds like a good thing for the most part, but be careful for it can have a dark side. Your allusion to the best genes in the last sentence verges dangerously close to eugenics with its quasi-scientific claptraps and ethical pitfalls.

            
                    
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